Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami: Pinnacle of Hard Work
by CarewornShoes
Summary: Some might call him 'stoic'; Tezuka was fairly certain the correct term was 'stupid.' A TezuSaku one-shot, long on sparkles and sap. The author's debut work. Thanks for reading. :


With a trio of chimes, the school day ended. Students streamed from their final classes to their lockers and out the door into the warm autumn sunshine, chattering happily. Tezuka double-checked the contents of his school bag and shut his locker door firmly, looking around, almost by habit, for a pair of brown pigtails. Lately, he'd seen a boy he didn't particularly know hanging around her. Tezuka supposed he could ask Inui about this guy – what was his name? Fukudome? –; Inui practically had a dossier on every person in the school, from the freshmen to the teachers and back again. That would be petty, though.

He caught sight of the pigtails shining in a pool of amber light spilling through the locker room windows. Tezuka took one step forward to possibly go say "good afternoon" when he saw that Sakuno had company. There he was again, that greasy smirk on his face, his voice oozing honey and oil as he leaned in and spoke to her. Tezuka stiffened ever so slightly. His mouth twitched. If it _was_ Fukudome, then he'd heard tales about him that he really didn't like. Tezuka knew he oughtn't stare at them, but at least his face was expressionless. Maybe. He hoped.

A ruffle of papers announced the arrival of Inui. Part of Tezuka's mind found that vaguely amusing – simply think about him, and he appears! "Fukudome Hikaru," he informed his former captain. "Second-year. Blood type AB. Member of the kendo club. Dislikes American food of all kinds. Is the recognized leading playboy in the school, having dated and broken up with thirteen girls in the past year and a half and often heard boasting –"

That was the last thing Tezuka really heard; at about that point, he found himself crossing the floor far more quickly than he ought in the still-busy coat room, dodging giggling girls and swinging backpacks until he reached the couple across the way. Fukudome and Sakuno both looked up in surprise.

"Senpai," said Fukudome by way of greeting. Tezuka stared at him, his expression still as unreadable as he could make it.

"K…Kon'ichi-wa, Tezuka-senpai," Sakuno offered. Tezuka didn't reply, still staring at Fukudome. The latter's confidence seemed to be slipping away with every moment of awkward silence. Part of Tezuka wondered if he ought to keep staring the weasel down; watching his spirit crumble under a Captain's glare would be immensely satisfying in a very vicious, base sort of way.

"Ryuuzaki-san," Tezuka said.

"H-Hai!" She clutched her bag with both hands, looking up at him with that same honest, earnest expression she always wore when they spoke.

"I was wondering if you would accompany me on a walk in the park down the street. There is something I wish to discuss with you." _For example, why scum such as this is allowed to pollute the air around you._

Her expression immediately changed to one of concern. "Hai! Let me get my shoes on first."

She dodged off through the crowd, leaving the two young men standing there, staring at each other. Fukudome looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Have…Have you known Sakuno-chan long, then, Tezuka-senpai?"

Tezuka's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, his glasses flashing in the afternoon sun. "Haa," he replied, "I have known _Ryuuzaki-san_ for many years."

"She's something else. So kind and helpful," Fukudome tried, grinning widely. Tezuka just kept staring at him. The grin faded briefly, then reappeared larger than before, if rather more artificial. "Yes, well, I won't keep you. I'm late for study group, and I don't want to hold up an important conversation. Good afternoon, Senpai…" And he was gone.

Tezuka let loose a full-fledged glare at his retreating back. He decided it was probably a good thing he'd not done so when Fukudome could see him – it most likely would have broken him. Tezuka took a minute to privately relish the thought, then chastised himself. _That_ was base and vicious.

"I'm sorry I took so long!" came a voice at his elbow. He turned to see Sakuno there, her street shoes on her feet and a light jacket over her shoulders. "Tomo-chan needed to borrow my notes."

"Iie," replied Tezuka.

"I'm ready now, though, so we can go."

Tezuka nodded and turned, and Sakuno bobbed after him. Out the door and across the school grounds they went, Tezuka trying to order his thoughts, Sakuno with the same concerned expression on her face as before. Tezuka was glad that the park was nearby. Once they were there, he could match pace with her and they could stroll leisurely. For now, though, he wanted to get away from their schoolmates as efficiently as possible without running, and she had to take two quick steps for every one of his.

They reached the park soon enough, and Tezuka instantly slowed his steps. A look of relief passed across Sakuno's far-too-honest face. Tezuka had to stop himself from smiling. That was one of the reasons she was always picked on – she was too kind and open, an easy target. Such a sobering thought brought him quickly back to reality. That Fukudome…Sakuno oughtn't to be hanging around someone like him. Who knows what he'd do to her?

They passed a few minutes more in silence. A few leaves crunched underfoot. The day was really a beautiful one, perfect for a walk in the park. Tezuka looked straight ahead. He could just see her out of the corner of his eye, looking up at him, then down at the ground, then back up at him, still worried. A stray hair worked itself loose from her barrette and fell across her face. Tezuka felt the sudden urge to turn and brush it out of the way, then put his arm around her shoulders and pull her close to him as they walked. For a second, he almost threw caution to the winds and did it, but then she reached up and the moment was gone, flicked away like the hair of which she so casually dispelled.

Finally, she spoke. "A-Ano, sumimasen, but what was it that Tezuka-senpai wanted to talk to me about?"

Tezuka didn't say anything for a few seconds more, trying to marshal his thoughts into something concrete and, well, un-saccharine. "You should be careful in your choice of friends," was what he decided on. At least it sounded like a concerned friend or older brother, and that was appropriate, right?

Sakuno looked confused. "My choice of friends?"

"Haa," Tezuka affirmed. A few more seconds passed while she thought that one over. Perhaps she thought he was insulting whatever-her-name-was, Osakada Tomoka. As silly and irritating as Osakada could be, Sakuno was friends with her, and he didn't want that misunderstanding to occur. "I specifically mean people who will try to take advantage of you. Those who have proven themselves over the years, of course, are to be trusted."

_Like you, Kunimitsu?_ Tezuka winced inwardly. It did sound like he was singing his own praises. She still looked confused. Something very like a headache was coming on. Perhaps it was more like toothache, though, now that he though about it; yes, a toothache when the painkiller wasn't completely working and the visit to the dentist was still three days away. He was _frustrated_, she was utterly lost, and with every passing second he was looking more and more like an insecure fool who couldn't bring himself to simply _say what he wanted to say!_

He'd never been in this situation. Tennis was so much easier – he knew how to coach that, to see a player's strengths and help them overcome their weaknesses, learn how to play their own tennis.

_So play your own tennis, Tezuka!_

The thought shocked him into blinking with its urgency and strength. Wherever that came from, whatever divine being had struck him alongside the head with this pure, simple revelation, well, he'd ponder that later. He pulled himself up and his shoulders back, stopped, and turned to face Sakuno. She stopped as well and turned to face him. The sunlight lit up her hair, brightening her eyes, highlighting her every feature. It caught Tezuka by surprise for a moment, further stalling any speech. He took it in as fast as he could, locked it away before the moment passed.

When it did, Tezuka gathered his thoughts about him. _Solid serve to begin the game._ "I apologize for pulling you away from your conversation."

Sakuno started, then threw up her hands and waved them in protest. "No, no!" she insisted. "Fukudome-senpai just wanted to know if I'd seen a friend of his. And anyway," she looked earnestly up at him, "I know that if Tezuka-senpai wants to talk about something, it's got to be important. Tezuka-senpai never does anything without a good reason."

_Does apparently pointless jealousy count as a good reason?_ Tezuka batted that thought away. The new information, though, required a change in strategy, thinking, and, well, everything. If Fukudome had no intentions on Sakuno, then all that was going on was that a young man and a young woman were walking in the park in the afternoon. Together. Alone. Like a couple.

"I'm afraid the reason was selfish." It still wasn't clear; she looked confused again. _Oh, just tell her_. "I… enjoy your company."

Sakuno blushed instantly. A smile nearly escaped Tezuka; as it was, he couldn't keep one corner of his mouth from twitching. Her gaze dropped to the ground. _If the current strategy is a success, continue, but be alert lest you settle in and become predictable._ "Shall we continue walking, Ryuuzaki-san?"

"H-Hai," she responded, shyly, but with a smile. They turned and walked on, saying nothing for a while. Tezuka couldn't remember the last time he felt so at ease walking alone with someone. With his teammates, he always had to be the captain – always in control and poised, occasionally quasi-omniscient and (he was fairly certain) constantly omnipotent. Sakuno, though, didn't seem to expect these things of him, just that he was who he was one second at a time. To be no one but Kunimitsu for once…it was a relief Tezuka hadn't really believed existed.

"I hope your classes are going well," Tezuka remarked.

"Hai!" Sakuno replied instantly. Her face fell a bit. "It's a lot more difficult than middle school. I've had to work so hard." Tezuka knew. He and Ryuuzaki-sensei still spoke often, and she'd mentioned something to that effect. And whenever he stopped by Ryuuzaki-sensei's office to say hello, Sakuno always seemed to be off to one side, bent over her homework.

"I admire that in you." It was a simple sentence, but she looked up at him in shock. Shock, maybe, but unless he was very much mistaken, Tezuka thought she was pleased by the statement.

Sakuno shook her head vehemently, still blushing. "No, no, no, not in me! Other people work just as hard as I do. Maybe even harder!"

"No." He'd never seen Sakuno do anything but work hard – work hard at her homework, her tennis, her friendships, at life in general. She didn't seem to realize that she did it, either, simply woke up each morning and gave every day her best effort. She'd been that way since the first day he'd seen her five years ago. "I have seen more than my fair share of tennis players who could learn from your example."

"No no no no no!" She was getting more and more flustered, pink-faced and waving her hands back and forth frantically. That wasn't his goal; a change of plan was needed immediately.

"Ryuuzaki-san." Tezuka turned toward Sakuno and grabbed her flailing hands. She stilled, staring wide-eyed up at him. The truth of things slowly dawned on Sakuno. Her mouth dropped open just slightly and her eyes, somehow, grew even wider.

"Tezuka-senpai…"

"Ryuuzaki-san needn't call me 'senpai.'"

"Tezuka…san?"

She was beautiful, Tezuka decided, absolutely beautiful. She was beautiful, and he was an idiot for having waited so long to tell her so—more than three years without a word of his feelings. Some might call him _stoic_; Tezuka was pretty sure the correct term was _stupid_. Stupid for more or less ignoring her for two years instead of noticing her the moment they met. Stupid for stepping back in attempt to avoid coming between her and Echizen. Stupid for trying so hard to help make Echizen _better_ for her for almost a year (_and THAT was a miserable failure_). Stupid for saying nothing when she graduated middle school and they once again met in the hallway. And now, stupid for _standing here staring at her_ when he ought to _man up and speak to her_.

He released her hands gently. "Ryuuzaki-san, I very much…that is, if I could continue to spend time with you, I would be honored."

There was a pause. For one horrible, never-ending second, Tezuka waited. And waited. How long did a second take?

Another second. He may have presumed too much, been careless, let his emotions lead him places. For so long, he'd guarded against that; was he about to fully understand exactly why he'd done so?

Three seconds. The sunlight was dancing in her hair again, making her eyes shine. The same picture as before, but so much more at stake now. If she said "no"…but if she said "yes"…!

Four. Sakuno tore her gaze from his and looked down at the ground, blushing deeply.

Five. Tezuka's chest congealed. This, then, was fear, cold and real and stifling.

Six. He couldn't see her face very well, he was so much taller. Was she smiling? From this angle, she almost might be, but to see a smile would only raise his hopes higher, and she'd not yet spoken.

Seven seconds. And then…

"I like walking in the park with you, Tezuka-san."

Sakuno looked up at Tezuka again, her eyes bright, a small, genuine smile playing on her mouth. "I like it a lot."

Everything came rushing back into place – time, emotions, senses. The battle was over. The match had been won. Something like a bubble seemed to be welling up inside of Tezuka – at the very least, he felt lighter than he had in possibly years, almost as if he'd taken a drink of pure air. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak, but then the bubble refused to stay where it was and a smile spread across Tezuka's face. Sakuno looked shyly down at the ground again.

He gestured towards the path ahead. "Shall we?"

"Hai!" she replied.

Tezuka had to restrain himself from striding out in triumph. His steps had to match hers. They walked on in silence for a time. The sun was setting quickly, sinking red and gold toward the horizon. The leaves still crunched underfoot. He would ask her if she'd like to have some tea with him later that week, possibly study together over the weekend. Perhaps, come winter, they could walk this same path, snowflakes falling instead of leaves. Tezuka glanced over at Sakuno, then faced forward once more.

Perhaps someday he could hold her hand in public. Perhaps someday he could call her "Sakuno-san." Perhaps someday he would permit himself to laugh aloud around her. His smile grew a little larger.

"Ryuuzaki-san?"

"Hai!"

Tezuka looked down and caught her eye. "Would you like to play tennis tomorrow afternoon?"


End file.
